POPULORUM PROGRESSIO ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLES 26th MARCH, 1967
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Contents I. MAN’S COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Church and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Church and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Action to be Undertaken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Issues and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 II. THE COMMON DEVELOPMENT OF MANKIND . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Aid for the Weak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aid to Developing Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Equity in Trade Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Development is the new name for Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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To the Bishops, Priests, Religious, and Faithful of the Whole Catholic World, and to All Men of Good Will. Honoured Brothers and Dear Sons, Health and Apostolic Benediction.
The progressive development of peoples is an object of deep interest and concern to the Church. This is particularly true in the case of those peoples who are trying to escape the ravages of hunger, poverty, endemic disease and ignorance; of those who are seeking a larger share in the benefits of civilisation and a more active improvement of their human qualities; of those who are consciously striving for fuller growth.
The Church’s Concern With an even clearer awareness, since the Second Vatican Council, of the demands imposed by Christ’s Gospel in this area, the Church judges it her duty to help all men explore this serious problem in all its dimensions, and to impress upon them the need for concerted action at this critical juncture. 2. Our recent predecessors did not fail to do their duty in this area. Their noteworthy messages shed the light of the Gospel on contemporary social questions. There was Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum,1 Pius XI’s encyclical Quadragesimo Anno,2 Pius XII’s radio message to the world,3 and John XXIII’s two encyclicals, Mater et Magistra4 and Pacem in Terris.5
A Problem for All Men 3. Today it is most important for people to understand and appreciate that the social question ties all men together, in every part of the world. John XXIII stated this clearly,6 and Vatican II confirmed it in its Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the World of Today.7 The seriousness and urgency of these teachings must be recognised without delay. The hungry nations of the world cry out to the peoples blessed with abundance. And the Church, cut to the quick by this cry, asks each and every man to hear his brother’s plea and answer it lovingly. Cf. Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 97-148. Cf. AAS 23 (1931), 177-228. 3 Cf., for example, Radio message of 1st June, 1941, on the 50th anniversary of Leo XIII’s Encyclical letter Rerum novarum: AAS 33 (1941), 195-205; Radio message, Christmas 1942: AAS 35 (1943), 9-24; Allocution to Italian Catholic Workers Association, meeting to commemorate Rerum novarum, 14th May, 1953: AAS 45 (1953), 402-408. 4 Cf. AAS 53 (1961), 401-464. 5 Cf. AAS 55 (1963), 257-304. 6 Cf. Encyc. letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 440. 7 Cf. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, no. 63: AAS 58 (1966), 1084 [cf. TPS XI, 302]. 1 2
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Populorum Progressio Our Journeys 4. Before We became pope, We travelled to Latin America (1960) and Africa (1962). There We saw the perplexing problems that vex and besiege these continents, which are otherwise full of life and promise. On being elected pope, We became the father of all men. We made trips to Palestine and India, gaining first-hand knowledge of the difficulties that these age-old civilisations must face in their struggle for further development. Before the close of the Second Vatican Council, providential circumstances allowed Us to address the United Nations and to plead the case of the impoverished nations before that distinguished assembly. Justice and Peace 5. Even more recently, We sought to fulfil the wishes of the Council and to demonstrate the Holy See’s concern for the developing nations. To do this, We felt it was necessary to add another pontifical commission to the Church’s central administration. The purpose of this commission is “to awaken in the People of God full awareness of their mission today. In this way they can further the progress of poorer nations and international social justice, as well as help less developed nations to contribute to their own development.”8 The name of this commission, Justice and Peace, aptly describes its program and its goal. We are sure that all men of good will want to join Our fellow Catholics and fellow Christians in carrying out this program. So today We earnestly urge all men to pool their ideas and their activities for man’s complete development and the development of all mankind.
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Apostolic letter motu proprio, Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam: AAS 59 (1967), 27 [cf. v. 12 of TPS, 103-106].
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I. MAN’S COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT The Situation 6. Today we see men trying to secure a sure food supply, cures for diseases, and steady employment. We see them trying to eliminate every ill, to remove every obstacle which offends man’s dignity. They are continually striving to exercise greater personal responsibility; to do more, learn more, and have more so that they might increase their personal worth. And yet, at the same time, a large number of them live amid conditions which frustrate these legitimate desires. Moreover, those nations which have recently gained independence find that political freedom is not enough. They must also acquire the social and economic structures and processes that accord with man’s nature and activity, if their citizens are to achieve personal growth and if their country is to take its rightful place in the international community.
Effects of Colonialism 7. Though insufficient for the immensity and urgency of the task, the means inherited from the past are not totally useless. It is true that colonising nations were sometimes concerned with nothing save their own interests, their own power and their own prestige; their departure left the economy of these countries in precarious imbalance-the one-crop economy, for example, which is at the mercy of sudden, wide-ranging fluctuations in market prices. Certain types of colonialism surely caused harm and paved the way for further troubles. On the other hand, we must also reserve a word of praise for those colonisers whose skills and technical know-how brought benefits to many untamed lands, and whose work survives to this day. The structural machinery they introduced was not fully developed or perfected, but it did help to reduce ignorance and disease, to promote communication, and to improve living conditions. The Widening Gap 8. Granted all this, it is only too clear that these structures are no match for the harsh economic realities of today. Unless the existing machinery is modified, the disparity between rich and poor nations will increase rather than diminish; the rich nations are progressing with rapid strides while the poor nations move forward at a slow pace. The imbalance grows with each passing day: while some nations produce a food surplus, other nations are in desperate need of food or are unsure of their export market. Signs of Social Unrest 9. At the same time, social unrest has gradually spread throughout the world. The acute restlessness engulfing the poorer classes in countries that are now being
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Populorum Progressio industrialised has spread to other regions where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. The farmer is painfully aware of his “wretched lot.”9 Then there are the flagrant inequalities not merely in the enjoyment of possessions, but even more in the exercise of power. In certain regions a privileged minority enjoys the refinements of life, while the rest of the inhabitants, impoverished and disunited, “are deprived of almost all possibility of acting on their own initiative and responsibility, and often subsist in living and working conditions unworthy of the human person.”10
Cultural Conflicts 10. Moreover, traditional culture comes into conflict with the advanced techniques of modern industrialisation; social structures out of tune with today’s demands are threatened with extinction. For the older generation, the rigid structures of traditional culture are the necessary mainstay of one’s personal and family life; they cannot be abandoned. The younger generation, on the other hand, regards them as useless obstacles, and rejects them to embrace new forms of societal life. The conflict between generations leads to a tragic dilemma: either to preserve traditional beliefs and structures and reject social progress; or to embrace foreign technology and foreign culture, and reject ancestral traditions with their wealth of humanism. The sad fact is that we often see the older moral, spiritual and religious values give way without finding any place in the new scheme of things. Concomitant Dangers 11. In such troubled times some people are strongly tempted by the alluring but deceitful promises of would-be saviours. Who does not see the concomitant dangers: public upheavals, civil insurrection, the drift toward totalitarian ideologies? These are the realities of the question under study here, and their gravity must surely be apparent to everyone.
The Church and Development The Church and Development 12. True to the teaching and example of her divine Founder, who cited the preaching of the Gospel to the poor as a sign of His mission,11 the Church has never failed to foster the human progress of the nations to which she brings faith in Christ. Besides erecting sacred edifices, her missionaries have also promoted construction of hospitals, sanitariums, schools and universities. By Cf. Leo XIII, Encyc. letter Rerum novarum: Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 98. Cf. Church in the World of Today, no. 63: AAS 58 (1966),1085 [cf. TPS XI, 302]. 11 Cf. Lk 7:22. 9
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Man’s Complete Development teaching the native population how to take full advantage of natural resources, the missionaries often protected them from the greed of foreigners. We would certainly admit that this work was sometimes far from perfect, since it was the work of men. The missionaries sometimes intermingled the thought patterns and behaviour patterns of their native land with the authentic message of Christ. Yet, for all this, they did protect and promote indigenous institutions; and many of them pioneered in promoting the country’s material and cultural progress. We need only mention the efforts of Pere Charles de Foucauld: he compiled a valuable dictionary of the Tuareg language, and his charity won him the title, “everyone’s brother.” So We deem it fitting to praise those oft forgotten pioneers who were motivated by love for Christ, just as We honour their imitators and successors who today continue to put themselves at the generous and unselfish service of those to whom they preach the Gospel.
The Present Need 13. In the present day, however, individual and group effort within these countries is no longer enough. The world situation requires the concerted effort of everyone, a thorough examination of every facet of the problem - social, economic, cultural and spiritual. The Church, which has long experience in human affairs and has no desire to be involved in the political activities of any nation, “seeks but one goal: to carry forward the work of Christ under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth; to save, not to judge; to serve, not to be served.’’12 Founded to build the kingdom of heaven on earth rather than to acquire temporal power, the Church openly avows that the two powers - Church and State - are distinct from one another; that each is supreme in its own sphere of competency.13 But since the Church does dwell among men, she has the duty “of scrutinising the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.”14 Sharing the noblest aspirations of men and suffering when she sees these aspirations not satisfied, she wishes to help them attain their full realisation. So she offers man her distinctive contribution: a global perspective on man and human realities. Authentic Development 14. The development We speak of here cannot be restricted to economic growth alone. To be authentic, it must be well rounded; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man. As an eminent specialist on this question has rightly said: “We cannot allow economics to be separated Cf. Church in the World of Today, no. 3: AAS 58 (1966), 1026 [cf. TPS XI, 261]. Cf. Leo XIII, Encyc. letter Immortale Dei: Acta Leonis XIII 5 (1885), 127. 14 Church in the World of Today, no. 4: AAS 58 (1966), 1027 [cf. TPS XI, 261]. 12 13
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Populorum Progressio from human realities, nor development from the civilisation in which it takes place. What counts for us is man - each individual man, each human group, and humanity as a whole.’’15
Personal Responsibility 15. In God’s plan, every man is born to seek self-fulfilment, for every human life is called to some task by God. At birth a human being possesses certain aptitudes and abilities in germinal form, and these qualities are to be cultivated so that they may bear fruit. By developing these traits through formal education of personal effort, the individual works his way toward the goal set for him by the Creator. Endowed with intellect and free will, each man is responsible for his self-fulfilment even as he is for his salvation. He is helped, and sometimes hindered, by his teachers and those around him; yet whatever be the outside influences exerted on him, he is the chief architect of his own success or failure. Utilising only his talent and willpower, each man can grow in humanity, enhance his personal worth, and perfect himself. Man’s Supernatural Destiny 16. Self-development, however, is not left up to man’s option. Just as the whole of creation is ordered toward its Creator, so too the rational creature should of his own accord direct his life to God, the first truth and the highest good. Thus human self-fulfilment may be said to sum up our obligations. Moreover, this harmonious integration of our human nature, carried through by personal effort and responsible activity, is destined for a higher state of perfection. United with the life-giving Christ, man’s life is newly enhanced; it acquires a transcendent humanism which surpasses its nature and bestows new fullness of life. This is the highest goal of human self-fulfilment. Ties With All Men 17. Each man is also a member of society; hence he belongs to the community of man. It is not just certain individuals but all men who are called to further the development of human society as a whole. Civilisations spring up, flourish and die. As the waves of the sea gradually creep farther and farther in along the shoreline, so the human race inches its way forward through history. We are the heirs of earlier generations, and we reap benefits from the efforts of our contemporaries; we are under obligation to all men. Therefore we cannot disregard the welfare of those who will come after us to increase the human family. The reality of human solidarity brings us not only benefits but also obligations. 15 Cf. L. J. Lebret, O.P., Dynamique concrète du développement Paris: Economie et Humanisme, Les editions ouvrierès (1961), 28.
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